The Shaker...

Party Cocktails

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Margarita

- 30ml (1,5oz) Cointreau
- 40ml (2 oz) tequila
- 20ml (1oz) lime juice

Shake and strain into a salt rimmed margarita glass

Garnish: lime slice

Cosmopolitan
- 50ml (2,5oz) vodka
- 25ml (1,5oz) Cointreau
- 20ml (1oz) cranberry juice
- 10ml (0,5oz) lime juice

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish: twist of lemon

Tom Collins

Ingredients

•1.25 oz. Tanqueray London Dry Gin
•1 oz. lemon or lime juice
•1 tsp. sweet & sour mix
•1 splash club soda
•1 maraschino cherry
•1 slice orange

Preparation
•In a shaker half filled with ice cubes, add Tanqueray London Dry Gin, lemon or lime juice and sweet and sour mix.
•Shake well.
•Strain into collins glass filled with ice.
•Add club soda and stir well.
•Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Havana Holiday

Orange and mint give this T&T a smooth and refreshing flavor.

Ingredients

•1.25 oz. Tanqueray London Dry Gin
•4 oz. tonic water
•0.25 oz. simple syrup
•2 orange wedges
•1 lemon wedge
•6 mint leaves

Preparation
•Muddle mint and orange wedge lightly with Tanqueray London Dry Gin.
•Add ice, lemon wedge, tonic and simple syrup and garnish with a mint sprig.

Sex On The Beach
Ingredients

•2/3 oz. Schnapps, peach
•1 1/3 oz. Vodka
•1 1/3 oz. Cranberry Juice
•1 1/3 oz. Orange Juice

Mixing Instructions

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

Strawberry Mojito

1 oz simple syrup

4 fresh strawberries, rinsed and drained.
5 fresh mint sprigs, plus 1 for garnish
Club soda or sparkling water
1/2 lime
2 oz Bacardi Light

In a tall (10- to 12-ounce) chilled glass, muddle the simple syrup, 3 of the strawberries, 5 mint leaves and a splash of club soda or sparkling water together with the back of a wooden spoon until you smell the mint.

Squeeze the juice from the lime half into the glass, add the rum and stir. Fill the glass with ice and top off the drink with club soda or sparkling water. Garnish with the remaining strawberry and mint sprig.

by The Shaker

Coco Caipirinha

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:32:00 +0000

While coconut water is just now getting popular in the US, it’s the number-one non-alcoholic beverage in Brazil (other than water). And the South American country’s number-one liquor is, of course, cachaça, making the two perfect partners in an innovative Caipirinha.

INGREDIENTS:

Half a lime, cut into wedges
2 tsp. Superfine sugar
2 oz Leblon Cachaça
Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water
Garnish: Lime wheel
Glass: Old fashioned

PREPARATION:

Muddle the lime and sugar in a shaker. Add the Leblon Cachaça, fill with ice and shake well. Pour, unstrained, into an old fashioned glass and top with Vita Coco. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Blueberry Mojito

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:46:00 +0000

1-1/2 oz. Ten Cane Rum

1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

1/2 Freshly Squeezed Lime

10-12 Fresh Mint Leaves

2 Barspoons Fresh Blueberries

Club Soda

Mint Leaves & Powdered Sugar - for garnish

In a tall or Collins glass, muddle simple syrup, mint, lime juice and blueberries. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add Rum and a splash of Club Soda. Stir well with a barspoon from the bottom to the top to blend all of the ingredients. You will lose a little volume in the glass from stirring. Add more crushed ice and another splash of Club Soda to fill the glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint, dusted with powdered sugar.

Sage Margarita

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Sage is an incredibly powerful herb, so you have to be careful when using it. However, the smoothness of the tequila, the sweetness of the liqueur, bite of lime and sweetness of the simple syrup is perfect. I would challenge it among the best margaritas I've ever had.

Sage Margarita

3 sage leaves

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz orange liqueur

1 oz fresh lime juice

1/8 oz Simple Syrup

Place two of your three leaves in a cocktail shaker, then fill with ice. Top with your tequila, liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup. Cover and shake thoroughly until your drink is mixed and you've muddled the sage in a round about way.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, then garnish with your third sage leaf.

Cheers!

Chocolate Mint Tea Martini

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:02:00 +0000

Chocolate Mint Tea Martini

Dip the rim of a martini glass in simple syrup and then in choco mint shavings.

Prepare mint tea and cool it down.

Pour 1 1/2 oz cold mint tea

Shake and strain slowly into the martini glass

2 oz Vanilla vodka

1 oz Dark Godiva Chocolate liquor

1/2 oz Bailey's Irish liquor

The tea will be on the top of the glass because is lighter creating a layered drink.

Garnish with a sliced strawberry in heart shape.

Hope you enjoy it.

by The Shaker

Liquid Deserts

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:53:00 +0000

This are among the best tasting cocktails you'll prepare. Most often ordered after dinner or late in the evening. They have excellent customer appeal, usually sell at high profit margins and are normally low in alcohol potency, all good commercial attributes.

The base ingredient in almost all of these drinks is half&half cream, preferred because whole fresh cream is to sweet and heavy and milk will produce too thin a drink. Some recipes call for ice cream as a base ingredient, resulting in a kind of alcohol milkshake. To make any cream drink an ice cream drink, substitute one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream for the half&half.

Cream drinks will be ordered and prepared in one of three ways: Straight up, on the rocks, or blended, and this choice will decide the use of which type of glassware.

When these cocktails are ordered straight up, you will use either a traditional hand mixing set or a blender. Either method will produce a frothy mixture that is served strained into a chilled cocktail glass.

When a cream drink is ordered on the rocks, it is mixed as above and then strained into a snifter or house specialty glass filled with ice.

All the recipes in this category can be prepared blended or frozen, and will be often be ordered that way. This technique uses a commercial grade home-style blender and an amount of ice equal to the liquid ingredients. If ice cream is substitute for half&half, the ice is omitted. The result is a thick and creamy milkshake drink, many of which become house signatures drinks because they are attractive and delicious.

The taste and potency of these recipes can be changed by decreasing the portion of half&half from 2 ounces to 1 ½ ounces, and increase each liquor or liqueur portion from ½ oz to ¾ oz.

Usually house policy will dictate the portioning of this drinks.

Tiramisu Martini

2 oz Vanilla vodka

½ oz Kahlua

½ oz frangelico

½ oz Bailey's

Shake vigorously and carefully strain into the martini glass.
Sprinkle with cinnamon powder on top

For more of Liquid Deserts:

"The Ultimate Bartender" - Complete Guide

By The Shaker

Flair Bartending

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:23:00 +0000

Ours is a business of subtleties and intangibles, where small things often make a huge difference. After all, we tend to stock the same products on our back bars and carry the same styles of glassware behind the bar. So what differentiates your operation from those on either side of you?

Before you answer, ask yourself what most people are looking for from a bar, lounge, or club. It’s connectivity, the pervasive sense of belonging and being at ease in a place.

Ultimately guests are looking for a place with which to identify, a place they can call their own. That connection is accelerated by dousing their experience with panache. In this context, panache is an unexpected spark of electricity that turns an ordinary night out into something extraordinary. It’s what gets people talking about your place the next day around the water cooler.

Like an untapped reservoir of excitement flair bartending is a time proven means of wowing guests, building repeat business and driving sales to new heights.

If by flair bartending you are thinking about the time consuming, liquor wasting circus routines featured in the film Cocktail, well, forget it. Those kinds of side show performances best belong at sponsored events and competitions, not behind working bars. No, by flair bartending, I’m talking about the ability to flip bottles, toss a mixing set now and again, and conclusively demonstrate to the clientele a complete mastery of all things behind the bar.

Flair bartending,It’s the ability to create and serve drinks in a stylish and interesting way. Working flair doesn’t have to be complicated, or risky to look good, It involves tossing, spinning, flipping of glasses, bottles, shaker tins, garnishes, straws, napkins, strainers, ice and ice scoops, that sort of thing.

A good flair bartender should be able to do something cool and captivating with every object behind the bar.

We work in a competitive market where success is always determined by the consumer. They
vote with their dollars and today they’re spending their time and money at places that give them the best all-around experience. If you’re looking to hedge your chances of success, consider arming yourself with a dynamic new set of skills.

Working flair is easily learned and has an immediate impact. Do it before those competitors on either side of you catch wind of it.

How to do a Kamikaze

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Royale Bloody Mary

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:46:00 +0000

If your party begins with brunch, serve a morning cocktail that easily carries over into the afternoon. The spicy drink, made with Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, horseradish, and ground pepper, is tempered by a splash of lime juice and soothing tomato juice.

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz. Cilantro Infused Vodka

3 oz tomato juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Shake well and strain into a tall glass filled with lime juice infused Ice cubes.
Garnishes: celery stalks, sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, tomato wheel, basil leaves, seafood seasoning and a skewered Jumbo Shrimp.

This is a high-end Bloody Mary.

by Lusitano

TheShaker.us

Herb's Vodka Cocktail Shakeoff

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:28:00 +0000

"The Ultimate Bartender"

Scotch Whiskey

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:13:00 +0000

Whiskey has been made in Scotland since th late 1500's. It is distilled from barley wich is allowed to germinate, or malt. The grain is dried in kiln over a peat smoke, which will added to the whiskey. There are three basic types od Scotch whiskey: malt, grain and blended.

Malt Scotch whiskey is full bodied, full flavored, 10 to 12 years old, with a distinctive, smokey, peaty taste. The majority are called "single malts", straight, unblended whiskeys from a single distillery. Most single malts come from the Highlands of Scotland, although fine malt Scotch is also produced on the islands of Islay, Skye and in Campbelton in the Lowlands.

Grain Scotch whiskey is a light bodied scotch whiskey distilled in a continuous still from cereal grains and produced almost entirely in the Lowlands of Scotland. While occasionally marketed straight, this whiskey is most frequently used in the blending of other Scotch whiskeys.

Blended Scotch whiskeys are the majority. They are combinations of grain and malt whiskeys blended to a unique and secret recipe. The difference between various blended Scotches comes from the proportion and quality of the products used.

Whiskey has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years. The Gaelic "usquebaugh", meaning "Water of Life", phonetically became "usky" and then "whisky" in English

According to the Scotch Whiskey Association, no one knows exactly when the art of distilling was first practised in Scotland; it is known that the Ancient Celts practised distilling, and that the liquid they produced. known in ancient Gaelic as uisge beatha ("water of life") — evolved into Scotch Whisky. By the 11th century distillation first occurred in Scotland in the early Christian monastic sites.

Shooters and Cordial Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:58:00 +0000

From: "The Ultimate Bartender" - Complete ebook Guide

by Sergio Lusitano

Shooters are large and diverse body of drink recipes, ranging from the elegant and sophisticated to the radically bizarre. Shooters are anything but one-dimensional. They have evolved into complex drinks with improved flavor and presentation. If any one recipe can be credited for lauching the popularity of this drinks, it is the “B-52”.

Shooters are fun, interesting and contemporary. Since most are served neat or straight-up, the quality of their ingredients can be fully appreciated. When appropriate, shooters should be served in chilled glasses. This will help keep the ingredients at their proper serving temperature and improve the drink's presentation.

Experiment with glassware, such as sherry, cordial or Pousse-cafe glasses. Match each speciality shooter with the most appropriate glass. Pousse-cafes are layered cordial drinks wich create three or more stripes. In French, Poussecafe translates to “Push Coffee”, a reference to it's reputation as an after dinner drink.

Technically, shooters such as a B-52 are also Pousse-cafes. When prepared properly, the layered ingredients will form “stripes” within the glass. This occurs as a result of using liqueurs with different specific gravities or densities. The effect achieved is similar to the way oil will float on water or vinegar, creating two layers.

To accomplish this, care must be taken to prevent the various products from mixing in the glass. The ingredients should be poured in the order specified in the recipe, since the ingredients are listed from heaviest to lightest (top listed ingredient on the bottom of the glass, each successive ingredient atop the previous).

The easiest and fastest way to create these layers is to use the back of a bar spoon to slow the pour of the liqueur. The spoon is held just above the level of the first liqueur poured into the glass, and the next ingredient is poured slowly and carefully over the sloped back of the spoon.

Each layer is poured using this same technique. The same effect for a two-layer drink can be obtained by first tilting the glass so that the bottom layer is almost touching the inside rim. The second product is then slowly and gently poured onto the glass surface between the first liqueur and the rim. While pouring the second layer, the glass should be carefully brought upright.

Use shot or rock glasses.

After Five

1/3 fill Kahlua
1/3 fill Peppermint Schanpps
1/3 fill Bailey's

American Dream

1/4 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/4 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1/4 oz Frangelico® hazelnut liqueur
1/4 oz dark creme de cacao

Banana Sandwich

1/3 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/3 oz creme de bananes
1/3 oz Bailey's

B-52

1/3 shot Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/3 shot Grand Marnier
1/3 shot Bailey's

Bikini Line

1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Tia Maria® coffee liqueur
1/2 oz raspberry liqueur

Brain Tumor

1 oz peach schnapps
1/2 Bailey's
Dash grenadine syrup
cherry brandy

Caribbean Sunset

3/4 oz Malibu® coconut rum
3/4 oz melon liqueur
2 oz cranberry juice
orange juice

Chip Shot

1 oz Amaretto
1 oz Kahlua
1 oz hot coffee

Flaming Jelly Bean

1 oz 151 proof rum
1 oz blackberry brandy
1 oz ouzo anise liqueur

Inverted Nail

1/2 fill Drambuie
1/2 fill Glenfiddich Single Malt

Lobotomy

1/2 oz raspberry liqueur
1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz Champagne

Mexican Siesta

salted rim optional
1/3 fill Gold Tequila
1/3 fill Grand Marnier
1/3 fill Sour Mix
Lime wedge garnish

Neutron Bomb

1/3 oz butterscotch schnapps
1/3 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
1/3 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur

Parisian Pousse Cafe

3/4 oz Blue Curacao
3/4 oz Kirschwasser® cherry brandy
3/4 oz cognac
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse®

This are some of the recipes you can find at "The Ultimate Bartender".

On the book you'll have 80 pages of great information and over 100 recipes.

Check at the link below

http://www.theshaker.us/Home_Page.php

Start Reselling my ebook today in your own website

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Gin

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:16:00 +0000

"London Dry" gin is the best known type of gin. The term "London Dry" refers to style and not a geographical location. This type of gin is first distilled in a column still, typically from a fermented mash of up to 75% corn, 15% barley malt, and other grains. Purified water is added to reduce the distillate to 120 proof.
The reduced spirit is redistilled with flavoring agents called "botanicals", a mixture of roots, herbs, fruits and seeds. Among those frequently usedare, juniper berries, caraway, anise and coriander seeds, lemon and orange peels, angelica and orris roots. These give gin its unique flavor and bouquet. The final distillate is again reduced in alcohol content to 80 to 94 proof, and then bottled.
London dry gin is not aged, although it is often stored in glass-lined, stainless steel holding vats before bottling. Other, less well known types of gin are Geneva (Genever) and Plymouth.

The name gin is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper".The 1911 Encyclopædia states that the word gin is an abbreviation of "Geneva", both words being derived from the French genièvre (juniper).

Gin became popular in England after the government allowed unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposed a heavy duty on all imported spirits. This created a market for poor-quality grain that was unfit for brewing beer, and thousands of gin-shops sprang up throughout England, a period known as the Gin Craze. By 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer and because of its cheapness it became popular with the poor. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, over half were gin-shops. Beer maintained a healthy reputation as it was often safer to drink the brewed ale than unclean plain water. Gin, though, was blamed for various social and medical problems, and it may have been a factor in the higher death rates which stabilized London's previously growing population.The reputation of the two drinks was illustrated by William Hogarth in his engravings Beer Street and Gin Lane (1751). This negative reputation survives today in the English language, in terms like "gin-mills" or "gin-joints" to describe disreputable bars or "gin-soaked" to refer to drunks, and in the phrase "Mother's Ruin," a common British name for gin.

The Negroni cocktail is made of 1 part gin, 1 part sweet vermouth, and 1 part bitters, traditionally Campari. It is considered an apéritif, a pre-dinner cocktail intended to stimulate the appetite.

Absinthe

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The precise origin of absinthe is unclear. The medical use of wormwood dates back to ancient Egypt and is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus, circa 1550 BC. Wormwood extracts and wine-soaked wormwood leaves were used as remedies by the ancient Greeks. Moreover, there is evidence of the existence of a wormwood-flavoured wine, absinthites oinos, in ancient Greece.

The first clear evidence of absinthe in the modern sense of a distilled spirit containing green anise and fennel, however, dates to the 18th century. According to popular legend, absinthe began as an all-purpose patent remedy created by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Couvet, Switzerland, around 1792 (the exact date varies by account). Ordinaire’s recipe was passed on to the Henriod sisters of Couvet, who sold absinthe as a medicinal elixir. By other accounts, the Henriod sisters may have been making the elixir before Ordinaire’s arrival. In either case, a certain Major Dubied acquired the formula from the sisters and in 1797, with his son Marcellin and son-in-law Henry-Louis Pernod, opened the first absinthe distillery, Dubied Père et Fils, in Couvet. In 1805 they built a second distillery in Pontarlier, France, under the new company name Maison Pernod Fils. Pernod Fils remained one of the most popular brands of absinthe up until the ban of the drink in France in 1914.

Rapid growth of French consumption
An advertising poster for Absinthe BeuclerAbsinthe’s popularity grew steadily through the 1840s, when absinthe was given to French troops as a malaria treatment. When the troops returned home, they brought their taste for absinthe with them. It became so popular in bars, bistros, cafés, and cabarets that, by the 1860s, the hour of 5 p.m. was called l’heure verte ("the green hour"). Absinthe was favoured by all social classes, from the wealthy bourgeoisie to poor artists and ordinary working-class people. By the 1880s, mass production had caused the price of absinthe to drop sharply. By 1910, the French were drinking 36 million litres of absinthe per year (compared to their consumption of almost 5 billion litres of wine).

International consumption

Absinthe has been popular outside of France, including in Spain, New Orleans and the Czech Republic. Absinthe was never banned in Spain or Portugal, and its production and consumption has never ceased. During the early 20th century it gained a temporary spike in popularity corresponding with the French influenced Art Nouveau and Modernism aesthetic movements.

New Orleans also has a historical connection to absinthe consumption. The city has a prominent landmark called the Old Absinthe House, located on Bourbon Street. Originally called the Absinthe Room, it was opened in 1874 by a Catalan bartender named Cayetano Ferrer. The building was frequented by many famous people, including Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Franklin Roosevelt, Aleister Crowley and Frank Sinatra.

Absinthe has been consumed in the Czech Republic (then part of Austria–Hungary) since at least 1888, notably by Czech artists, some of whom had an affinity for Paris, frequenting Prague’s famous Cafe Slavia. Its wider appeal in Bohemia itself is uncertain, though it was sold in and around Prague. There is evidence that at least one local liquor distillery in Bohemia was making absinthe at the turn of the 20th century

On March 5, 2007, the French Lucid brand became the first genuine absinthe to receive a COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) for importation into the United States since 1912, following independent efforts by representatives from Lucid and Kübler to topple the long-standing U.S. ban. In December 2007, St. George Absinthe Verte, produced by St. George Spirits of Alameda, California, became the first brand of American-made absinthe produced in the United States since the ban. Since that time, other micro-distilleries have started making small batches of high-quality absinthe in the U.S.

Preparation

Traditionally, absinthe is prepared by placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon and then placing the spoon on the glass which has been filled with a shot of absinthe. Ice-cold water is then poured or dripped over the sugar cube so that the water is slowly and evenly displaced into the absinthe, typically 1 part absinthe and 3 to 5 parts water. During this process, components not soluble in water (mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise) come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. "opaque" or "shady", IPA [luʃ]). Releasing these components allows herbal aromas and flavours to "blossom" or "bloom" and brings out subtleties originally over-powered by the anise. This is often referred to as "The French Method."

"The Bohemian Method" is an alternative that is popular primarily due to the use of fire. Like the French method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of absinthe. The difference is that the sugar is pre-soaked in alcohol, usually more absinthe, and then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass igniting the absinthe. Finally, a shot glass full of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the French method. A variant of "The Bohemian Method" is to allow the fire to burn itself out. This variant, called "Cooking the Absinthe" or "Flaming Green Fairy," removes much but not all of the alcohol.

Slow drip absinthe fountainOriginally a waiter would serve a dose of absinthe, ice water in a carafe, and sugar separately, and the drinker would prepare it to his preference.[44] With increased popularity, the absinthe fountain, a large jar of ice water on a base with spigots, came into use. It allowed a number of drinks to be prepared at once, and with a hands-free drip, patrons were able to socialize while louching a glass.

Although many bars served absinthe in standard glasses, a number of glasses were specifically made for absinthe. These had a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured in. One "dose" of absinthe is around 1 ounce (30 ml), and most glasses used this as the standard, with some drinkers using as much as 1½ ounces (45 ml).

In addition to being drunk with water poured over sugar, absinthe was a common cocktail ingredient in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and continues to be a popular ingredient today. One of the most famous of these is Ernest Hemingway’s "Death in the Afternoon" cocktail, a concoction he contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. His directions are as follows: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."

Effects

Absinthe has been frequently and incorrectly described in modern times as being hallucinogenic. In the 1970s, a scientific paper mistakenly reported thujone was related to THC, the active chemical in cannabis. Ten years after his 19th century experiments with wormwood oil, Valentin Magnan studied 250 cases of alcoholism and claimed that those who drank absinthe were worse off than those drinking ordinary alcohol, and that they experienced rapid-onset hallucinations. Such accounts by absinthe opponents were embraced by its most famous users, many of whom were bohemian artists or writers.
Two famous painters who helped popularize the notion that absinthe had powerful psychoactive properties were Toulouse Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh. In one of the best known accounts of absinthe drinking, Oscar Wilde described the feeling of having tulips on his legs after leaving a bar. Today it is known that absinthe does not cause hallucinations. Thujone, the active chemical in absinthe, is a GABA antagonist; and while it can produce muscle spasms in large doses, there is no evidence that it causes hallucinations. It has been speculated that reports of hallucinogenic effects of absinthe may have been due to poisonous chemicals being added to cheaper versions of the drink in the 19th century, to give it a more vivid colour.

However, the debate over whether absinthe produces effects on the human mind additional to those of alcohol has not been conclusively resolved. The effects of absinthe have been described by some as mind opening. The most commonly reported experience is a "clear-headed" feeling of inebriation—a form of "lucid drunkenness". Chemist, historian and absinthe distiller Ted Breaux has claimed that the alleged secondary effects of absinthe may be caused by the fact that some of the herbal compounds in the drink act as stimulants, while others act as sedatives, creating an overall lucid effect of awakening. Long term effects of low absinthe consumption in humans remain unknown, although the herbs in absinthe have both painkilling and antiparasitic properties.

Pisco Sour

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:31:00 +0000

Peruvian Pisco - Traditional Drink

The Spaniards brought a grape liquor that with the time was elaborated in Peru.

It was named "pisco", name that has three origins: means a Quechua word that translated to English means "bird". The mud container was called "botija", where pisco was deposited. Pisco, city and name of a town that belongs to the Ica valley, correspond to a very important event. The great Independence leader José de San Martín disembark in the Paracas bay in Pisco, September 8th, 1820.

The botija was a practical container that used in the elaboration of pisco and then to transport and keep it. In the botija the grape juice was fermented and distilled. Afterwards the pisco is stored in botijas. When the botijas are empty they stowed them face down, until being used again in the next vintage.

All this shows that no other country can copy the Peruvian PISCO

Pisco Sour's Recipe

2 oz of pisco

1 oz of simple syrup

2 oz of lemon juice

1 egg white

Shake well with ice or blend it

Add drops of Amargo Angostura on the top

The Red Violin

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:41:00 +0000

The Red Violin

The film tells the story of a perfect violin known as 'The Red Violin' for its rich red colour. At the film's beginning, the violin is being auctioned in Canada. As the bidding starts, the violin's history is revealed, showing that the violin has been in existence for over 300 years, having been made in 1681.

Its history is told in five locations around the world: Cremona; Vienna; Oxford; Shanghai; and Montreal, these stories are told in chronological order except for the entire Cremona and Montréal stories, which are intersected into the others with each change of location and as the tarot reading and the auction develop. To its owners, the violin causes anger, betrayal, love, and sacrifice. In each setting the dialogue is spoken in the appropriate language. Also, a variation of the movie's signature violin solo by composer John Corigliano is played at least once in the period it is played, with the exception of Cremona, where the solo is being hummed by Anna herself. Throughout the movie, the solos are played by noted violinist Joshua Bell.

The Red Violin

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Razz
1/2 oz Chambord
Splash of lemonade

Shake the ingredients and strain into champagne flute.
Top with Moet Nectar Champagne
Garnish with two Maraschino Cherries.

Have Fun...

by Lusitano

How to do Martinis & Manhattans

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:30:00 +0000

The Classic Martini and Manhattan enjoy enormous popularity. These drinks are at the peak of fame and also potency.

Martinis and Manhattans are most frequently served before dinner during the Cocktail Hour and are likely to be ordered with premium name brand liquors.

These cocktails are among the drinks most frequently served in a bar. Customers who order these drinks are often particular about how their cocktail is prepared. Making these drinks is greatly affected by customer preference.

Another aspect to these drinks is the amount of concentration necessary to remember all of the various specifics involved in a customer's order. To remember precisely what each customer requested requires total concentration under very distracting circumstances.

The slightest mistake may result in wasted liquor, often expensive ones.

Martinis and Manhattans are prepared with between 2 oz and 3 ½ oz of the requested liquor. The high-proof liquors (80-100 proof) served undiluted explains why these drinks are so potent. Martinis and Manhattans are ordered on the rocks or straight-up. When ordered on the rocks, the drink is prepared directly into an iced rocks glass (built), garnished and served.

A Martini or Manhattan straight-up is prepared in an iced mixing glass, then stirred gently and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Shaking the cocktail rather than stirring it will “bruise” the liquor, as well over dilute it, and is often grounds for a customer rejecting the drink.

Should the customer fail to state his or her serving preference, it is your responsibility to ask. Do not assume you know how the customer wants the cocktail served, unless it is a reorder and already known.

Each recipe is prepared with sweet and/or dry vermouth. Vermouth is a Italian fortified wine. Vermouth is put into these drinks to soften any edge to the liquor and is always poured before the liquor. If you use too much or the wrong vermouth the drink may be remade without wasting expensive liquor.

by The Shaker

Time Flies When Having Rum

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Rum is a distilled product from a fermented mash of sugar cane or sugar cane molasses. Rums are distilled in every country that grows and exports sugar.

Puerto Rican Rums, like Bacardi and Ron Rico, are distilled in column stills. Following distillation, the rum is aged in new oak casks from 1 to 4 years and then filtered through charcoal.

The gold version is amber and a fuller flavor than the silver version.

My friends, enjoy it responsibly.

Happy Summer to all.

From The Shaker

The Black Vodka

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:01:00 +0000

As vodka goes Blavod is an excellent premium brand that can be defined on its own without the branding of "The Black Vodka" and can stand against any of the non-colored vodkas on the market. Knowing that the hue is a little off the wall has the tendency to change people's perception of its actual taste. Some people that have tried Blavod in a straight taste test noted a subtle, yet distinct, flavor undertone to Blavod. However when blind folded those same people are usually not able to distinguish between Blavod and a clear vodka of equal quality.

The herbal extract catechu is responsible for the blackish-violet hue of Blavod and although touted as having no significant effect of taste, there is a notable herbal finish that is not found in clear vodkas. Blavod is an extremely smooth vodka with clean undertones of dark berries and the ever-so-slight hint of cloves and anise. This heady spirit emits an intriguing sweet citrus, woody and flowery aroma that can do no more than entice one to have a sip.

One of the best qualities of Blavod is its ability to create wonderful layers in a drink.

The Black Widow

is Blavod vodka's answer to a Cape Codder. This layered drink is very simple and the black vodka tops this eerie cocktail nicely. This is one of the recipes in which the brand of spirit is key, no other vodka will create the same effect.

Ingredients:

•2 oz Blavod vodka

•3 oz cranberry juice

Preparation:

1.Pour the cranberry juice into a highball glass filled with ice.

2.Float the Blavod on top.

The Black Magic

is another creepy cocktail that features Blavod black vodka, which gives the mixed drink its midnight hue. This is a very tasty drink, despite its appearance and is so easy to make that it's perfect for entertaining large crowds during a Halloween party or whatever other dark bash you may be hosting. Any lemon-lime soda will work for topping this drink, personally I prefer Sprite but 7-up is more commonly used

Ingredients:

•2 oz Blavod black vodka

•1/2 oz grenadine

•lemon-lime soda

•maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:

1.Pour the vodka and grenadine into an ice-filled collins glass.

2.Fill with soda.

The Black Martini

replaces vermouth with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur (Chambord being a good choice). The drink will be dark, but not black-black so another option is to make a Vodka Martini with Blavod, a black colored vodka.

Ingredients:

•3 1/2 oz gin or vodka

•1/2 oz blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur

•lemon twist for garnish

Preparation:

1.Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.

2.Shake well.

3.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or serve on the rocks in an old-fashioned glass.

4.Garnish with a lemon twist.

Tequila

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:26:00 +0000

Tequila is a great party maker. Is a spirit that lifts your spirit.

Produced in or near the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico, this liquor is made from the fermented sweet sap of the Agave Tequilana Weber, known in Mexico as the Mezcal plant and in the U.S. as the Century plant. The sap is taken from the plant's pulpy center, allowed to ferment and then double-distilled in

copper pot stills.

Tequila is marketed in three styles: the unaged silver, often bottled immediatly following distillation. Reposado, aged in oak vats for 1-2 years, and Anejo, aged between 1 and 3 years old, with 80-92 proof.

Side Car

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:48:00 +0000

The sidecar was created in Paris during WWI and was generally made with Cognac or Armagnac. Lately though, it is more commonly being made with bourbon as opposed to brandy. Do be careful when varying ratios with this recipe, as it's important to find the balance of sweet and sour.

Ingredients:

•1 1/2 oz bourbon, Cognac or Armagnac
•3/4 oz Cointreau
•1/4 oz lemon juice

Preparation:

1.Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
2.Shake well.
3.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mediterranean Martini

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:16:00 +0000

A variation of the Classic Vodka Martini. The Mediterranean Martini is a must for the Martini Lovers.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz. Grey Goose

Splash of dry vermouth

3 Basil leaves

Lemon peels

Preparation: In a Shaker with ice, join the vodka, smash the basil leaves to release the oils and put in the lemons peels.

Your martini glass should be already with ice and water to chill the glass.

Shake the goods for 20 seconds.

Through the ice in the glass away and splash a dash of vermouth into the bottom of the glass.

Strain the drink into the glass and garnish it with a fresh basil leave and lemon peels.

Skewer some olives filled with goat cheese and serve it.

Voila...

by Lusitano

Quote Of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:17:00 +0000

I can do it a number of ways.

Straight up, neat, on the rocks.

Or if you're flexible,

with a Twist.

Funny Joke

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:25:00 +0000

Two tomatoes are crossing the street.

Tomato A says:

Watch out the car!!!!!

Tomato B Says:

What car???????

PPPFFFFTTTT....

KetchUp...

"Twist" Cocktail Shaker

noreply@blogger.com (The Shaker) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:05:00 +0000

This helps you get closer to the perfect martini.

Not to mention the compliments that I have received while making drinks with it!!!!!!

Also a Great piece of decoration to your Bar.

This piece makes a statement...

Nambé Twist 10-Inch Cocktail Shaker